A Familiar Heart
by kclynne
Summary: This is my own personal story on what I want to see happen in how Abby returns to Chad.
1. Chapter 1

A Familiar Heart

Chapter 1

Four months. Four months, six days. It had been four months, six days and ten hours since Chad DiMera had received that fateful phone call that his wife had been reported being aboard an aircraft that crashed into the Gulf of Mexico. It had been five months, seven days and three hours since he'd last seen his wife alive. His Abby.

Chad sat in his study at his lavish DiMera mansion staring at the picture of her he had sitting on his desk. This room was flooded with pictures of her; of them. Mostly from their wedding day. The day that was etched into his heart and his mind as the happiest day of his life.

Chad had been trying to get some work done. His idea to completely revitalize his father's company was no small task. He'd sent Belle Brady over to Hong Kong to help with negotiations and go over the accounting system with a fine toothed comb. Thomas lay sleeping in his crib off to the side of his desk. Chad had given Lucas and Adrienne the night off.

They were good people. He had known Lucas since he was just a teenager, playing video games with Will at both his and Sami's apartment. Adrienne he hadn't known as long but Sonny was his best friend and his business partner and respected both Adrienne and Justin's business sense. He liked seeing them together as a couple. They needed someone in their life after everything they had gone through. Lucas especially. Since losing Will, Chad had noticed a deep sorrow in Lucas' behavior. He didn't laugh or smile as much as he used to.

Chad had never known Grace as his daughter, but he still felt a huge part of him was missing knowing that he never would get to know her. That she would never get to grow up and know her little brother Thomas. He could only imagine how more intense that feeling was for Lucas who did get to see Will grow up and have a family and ultimately lose his life to a deranged psychopath.

"Hey baby," He whispered her to her as he picked the picture frame up in his hand. That same deranged madman tortured and pushed his wife over her own mental edge. His fingers traced her face as he imagined what it was like to feel her skin against his. His heart ached to feel her again, to see her; to smell her; to know that the other half of his soul was in front of him.

"God I miss you." He spoke to her picture as he sat back in his chair and held her to his chest. "I miss you so damn much."

Thomas started to gurgle which caused Chad to jump up and set Abby's picture back on the desk.

"Hey buddy," Chad calmly soothed his son as he picked him up to cradle him. "Daddy's here. It's okay." Thomas cooed as he felt the familiarity of his father against him. "That's right. Are you hungry?" Chad asked, knowing that his son was always hungry. Abby used to say that she should've known that Thomas was Chad's because no one else eats like Chad did. Thomas had the same appetite.

"Let's go get you a bottle, get you back to sleep, little man."

Thomas started to wiggle and it took a moment for Chad to get a good hold on him. "Okay, okay. We'll go for a walk. I don't know where we'll go at this hour, but, we'll go somewhere nice."

Chad gathered up Thomas' diaper bag and grabbed the stroller on the way downstairs. He passed by Harold, whom he let know he would be out of the house for a little bit and told to take the rest of the night off. Covering his bases, he texted Lucas and Adrienne and let them know he would be out with Thomas when they returned home, so not to worry.

Chad grabbed Thomas' favorite toy dog Mr. Fluffy and before he could set him in the stroller, Thomas practically snatched him out of his Dad's hand with a sneaky smile on his face.

"Somebody is already showing their DiMera ways, huh? When we want something, we don't let anything get in our way, do we?" Thomas clutched his toy dog with both hands as he snuzzled into it, relishing in its calming ability.

As they left the mansion, Chad took a deep breath and let the cool air wash over his face and his skin. He hadn't been out of the house much in the past few weeks. "Months." He corrected himself. The sky was bright and the stars were shining and the memory of how he and Abby had created Thomas came rushing back to him. They had been in the garden on a night just like this and the most beautiful thing came out of it. For some reason, Chad had a similar feeling at that moment. He didn't know what, but, something was going to come out of taking Thomas out for a walk.

They walked down to the Horton Town Square and just as hungry as Thomas had been, Chad felt the same demonic rumblings in his own belly. "Guess I'm hungry too," he whispered to Thomas. "Should we go to the Pub? Should we go to TBD? Where should we go?" Chad scratched his son's belly and made his son smile and giggle.

Chad smiled at his son's face. Every time he smiled he thought of Abby. He clearly had his mother's smile. Thomas had inherited Chad's blue eyes, but everything else was all Abby. It was a good thing. It warmed Chad's heart to know that he would always see a part of Abby in their son. '

"Excuse me," Chad heard a woman's voice come from behind him.

Chad turned around to see the lady in question. When he looked at her, his heart stopped beating for a second. His mouth turned dry and he almost forgot how to blink. The woman was stunning. She had strawberry blonde hair and these eyes that looked so familiar to Chad. He couldn't place it but he felt like he'd seen them before.

"Yes?" He asked, regaining his voice.

She smiled at him. "Is that your son?" She inquired her smile bright and her face was kind.

Chad turned back to Thomas and smiled proudly. "Yes, he is."

"He's beautiful." She remarked. Chad couldn't take his eyes off of her. Every fiber of his being was screaming at him that he knew her but he'd never seen her before in his life.

"Thank you." Instinctually Chad started to play with his wedding ring.

"What's his name?" She asked, sitting down next to Chad.

"Thomas."

"That's a lovely name." She admired as she made faces at Thomas.

"Thank you, my wife picked it out. It was a family name."

She held out her hand. "I'm AJ."

"Chad." Chad extended his hand back to hers. They shook and Chad couldn't stop staring at the woman in front of him. He felt this surge go through him as their hands connected.

"What are you doing out here on a night like this, Chad? And where is Mrs. Chad?" She smiled as she sat back next to him, crossing her legs to make herself comfortable.

"Thomas and I were just out for a late night walk and Mrs. Chad ah…" He paused before he could finish that sentence and tried to fight back the tears that were welling up inside him. He hated strangers see him weak. While he would never partake in their sadistic mind games and manipulations to the people of Salem, he was still a DiMera and DiMera's weren't weak in the public's eye.

"It's okay, if you don't want to talk about it." She assured him as she placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks." Chad quickly wiped away the start of the tear in his left eye before she could notice it.

"Hey, I've seen you before, haven't I? In the newspapers, right? You're Chad DiMera! You're making all of these big business moves to turn DiMera Enterprises around. Making waves out there."

"Ah, yeah. I am. I don't know if you're familiar with my family's reputation around Salem-"

"Everyone is familiar with your family's reputation around Salem." She cut him off.

Chad chuckled. He had that one coming. "Well, I'm not like them and I wanted to build something good for my son. For his future."

She smiled at him. A sad smile as she replied, "That's wonderful."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get all personal on you. We just met."

"No, it's okay." She assured him. She gathered her purse and as she got up, she said, "I should get going. Good night Chad DiMera. And Good night to you Thomas DiMera…"

"Actually, it's Thomas Jack… Deveraux." Chad corrected her.

"Sounds like a Supreme Court Justice." She laughed as she bid her goodbye's and trailed on through the square.

Chad could only whip his head around at that mention. He'd said the same thing to Abby at the Inn, the night after they'd found Thomas and Ben was officially put behind bars. The night that changed everything for them. Something about the way AJ had said it made Chad think that it couldn't be a coincidence. But it had to be. Right?


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Chad returned home from his walk with Thomas and his meeting with AJ. For some reason he just couldn't stop thinking about her. That had only ever happened once before in his life. With Abby. Immediately his stomach started to churn. He wasn't ready yet. He had too much on his plate to be even looking at other women. There was the rebuilding of DiMera Enterprises and then there was Thomas. He had to do what was right for his son first and foremost. That did NOT include looking at women who were not Thomas' mother.

As gently as he could, he manipulated his son out of his stroller and into his crib in the nursery next to Chad's room. Since Abby… Chad hadn't been able to go in their bedroom. Everything still smelled like her and part of him wanted to relish in her sweet scent once more, but his heart couldn't take it. He had just started to make it through one day without a breakdown. Going back in there would do him more harm than good.

As he kissed his sweet son's forehead good night, he whispered to him, "Daddy and Mommy both love you. Always."

With one last look, Chad partially closed his son's bedroom door and moseyed over to the next room where he promptly flopped on the bed and drifted off to sleep with dreams of the happiness he wished he'd had with Abby.

Chad awoke in the morning, groggy and remorseful. He wished he hadn't fallen asleep in his clothes. Unfortunately it wasn't the first time it had happened in recent months. He practically wore the shirt the last time he'd seen Abby for two weeks. Harold had actually started to become concerned for Chad's hygiene.

Thomas was still sound asleep. That was one thing Chad was grateful for. Thomas finally seemed to be breaking out of that "up every 4 hours" habit during the night. It allowed Chad to actually get some rest.

He heard rumblings from Lucas and Adrienne out in the hallway as they went in to check on Thomas. He would forever be grateful to those two people. They didn't have to move in and help him raise his son, but they did because they loved Abby and they love Thomas.

He turned his head when he heard Lucas whisper in his room.

"Chad? You awake?"

"Mm-hmm." He moaned as he waved his hand in the air, signaling Lucas to come on in.

"When he wakes up, Adrienne and I were thinking of taking Thomas to the park. Do you want to join us?"

Chad looked at the clock with one eye open. It was just past eight. "Yeah. That sounds nice." As he moved to sit up, his tablet beeped at him with a reminder. "Oh shit, I can't Lucas. I have a board meeting at the hospital. I'm setting up a foundation in Abby's memory for a-plastic anemia patients and today's the day I present it to the board. Damn it. Maybe I could text you after and we could meet up?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it. Hey man, I just want to say I think that's great what you're doing for Abigail. I think she'd be real proud of you."

"Yeah?" Chad asked disbelieving those words.

"Yeah. I do. Look, you know how I feel about your family. Specifically your brother." Chad rolled his eyes. It all came back to EJ. Damn man was still getting on people's nerves even after death. "But, I know who my niece was. And I know that she had a great spirit and a tendency to believe the best in people, which often landed her in hot water." Lucas smiled and Chad did as well, because he was right.

"But I've known you for a long time as well and I know how being a part of the DiMera family has changed you… and how it hasn't. Just keep doing what you're doing and you'll be okay Chad. I may not have lost Sami physically but the pain of losing someone you love so much… it can tear you apart. Don't let it consume you. You're doing this for Thomas, just keep that in focus and you'll be okay."

"Thanks. I don't know if I've told you guys but I'm extremely appreciative of you and Adrienne moving in here."

Lucas put his hand on Chad's shoulder in show of support. "It is our genuine pleasure. I hate this house but, the company makes it better. Alright, man. I'll wait for your text later. Let you know where we're at."

"Sounds good." Chad called out as Lucas exited the bedroom. He took a deep breath and rubbed his face to wake himself up. He had a very important presentation at the hospital in about an hour. He had to get a move on.

Chad shuffled his folders with his notes and his paperwork for the board to look over for his proposal. He had never presented to the board before. He'd always just done his DiMera duty and voted when it came time to do so. But he had never been at the helm of an actual project before, one that could save lives.

"This is what Abby did. Every day." Chad thought to himself. His nerves were making his palms sweaty and he felt a sudden rush of warmth in his dark grey suit. He took a deep breath and calmed himself as he waited outside the door to the meeting room. He checked the time on his watch for about the twentieth time in the past five minutes.

"Chad?" He heard a voice come up from behind him.

He turned and looked to see AJ coming down the hallway. She looked stunning in her knee-length black skirt and her rose pink colored sleeveless blouse. She looked adorable as she held her coffee in one hand and her paperwork in the other. Reminded him of how Abby used to be. Always in a rush, always on the go.

"Yes? Oh, hey!" He was surprised.

"What are you doing here?" She asked him, just as surprised to see him as he was to see her.

He pointed to the door and explained. "I'm waiting for the board meeting to start."

"Oh! I didn't know you were on the board. Anything interesting on the docket today?" She smiled at him warmly as she took a seat across the hallway. Chad couldn't help but smile back as he took the hint and sat down next to her. There was something about her that both excited him and made him feel incredibly at home. Like he'd known her for years but still got the rush of adrenaline at the thought.

"Ah yes, actually. I am presenting an idea I had. I wanted to start a foundation at DiMera Enterprises honoring my wife in the battle she fought as a young girl in a-plastic anemia. I can only do that by partnering up with the hospital so, I need to present to them why it would be a good investment."

"That's wonderful! However, you sound a little nervous." She eyed him carefully.

"I am." He responded so quickly and genuinely he didn't even think twice about it. That was unusual for him. Normally he put up this façade, this wall, as to what he was really thinking or feeling. He'd been careful of whom he opened up to in the past and he'd surprised himself by being that way with AJ. Someone he met yesterday.

He eyed her carefully. Maybe he had seen her before and he just didn't remember. His gaze washed over her long, strawberry blonde hair. She had it pulled back in a pony-tail. Her eyes were sultry and smoky. Chad blinked hard as he tried not to be taken in by her beauty. He couldn't let himself get too carried away in staring or gawking at this woman.

"What's something that normally calms you down?" She inquired innocently.

He couldn't really think of something besides things that Abby used to do like rubbing his back or running her fingers through his hair. He loved that sensation.

"I could tell you a story?" She offered with a small giggle exuding her throat.

That idea intrigued Chad. It brought up sad, but, happy memories of them.

"Sure…I don't have anything else to try." He conceded.

She thought for a moment while he patiently waited. "Once upon a time there was a handsome prince and a girl who lived in the village…"

"Is this Cinderella? I think this is Cinderella…" He butt in playfully.

"Hey! I am the storyteller and you're the story-listener!" She played back.

Again her words rang through his body like an echo. Flashes of that night came back to him. Holding Abby in his arms as she drifted off to sleep from his bedtime story was one of the most precious memories he held in his heart. He'd never tell anyone about what happened that night between them. It was sacred. Just like when she'd mentioned the name Thomas being like a Supreme Court Justice name, the story and the way she said things caused Chad to nearly have a panic attack.

His breathing turned heavy and his eyes became blurry.

"Chad? Are you okay?" AJ asked concerned. She placed her hand on his shoulder and their eyes connected, deeply for what seemed like eternity to Chad.

"I'm fine. I'm fine." He quickly backed away from her, jerking away his shoulder as she had her hand pressed to it. "I'm going to go the restroom. Excuse me." He politely said as he sped-walked down to the men's room.

Setting his folders down, he braced his body against the porcelain sink. Letting the water flood through his fingers, he splashed his face. Once; twice; three times as he tried to slow his heart beat from bursting out of his chest.

"I'm fine." He kept muttering to himself as he wiped his face and let his breathing slow down. As he came out of the bathroom he noticed that AJ had left her chair. He walked down to where they had been sitting and saw that she left a note.

"Shit…" He thought to himself. He freaked her out and even though she freaked him out to begin with, it wasn't actually her fault. She didn't know he had all of these weird triggers. Chad himself didn't even know the things that would set him off and send him into a downward spiral. One thing was for sure, after his meeting he'd have to find her and apologize for his behavior. Opening her note, he saw that all it said was: Have faith.

Playing with his wedding ring, he sat back in the chair he'd been sitting in and waited for his turn. "Just go in there, pull yourself together, talk about Abby, talk about Thomas and it'll be okay." And with the reassurance from himself and from AJ's note, he felt Abby's presence with him. He felt her faith in him.

"I love you." He whispered as Mr. Burns opened the door to the meeting room and Chad confidently stepped inside.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Chad had never shaken so many hands in a two minute period before. The board completely backed his foundation idea and his financial plan. It all felt like Abby had been watching over him the entire time, helping him, guiding him to what his purpose was for after their life together. A genuine smile came across his face as he exited the room and took a breath. He couldn't believe he had actually done it.

"We did it, baby." He clutched his hand to his chest and thought, "There's just one more thing that would make this day better."

He picked up his phone and texted Lucas to see where they were. He needed to see Thomas. Thomas was his light, he was his driving force, he was his everything, because he was theirs. Seeing Thomas' little smile would only be the cherry on top of his day.

Lucas responded quickly that they were at the park playing in the sandbox. Chad made a quick detour, he left the hospital and decided to pick up something special for his boy. He was getting bigger every day and it seemed like Chad was constantly trying to figure out what the next size Thomas would need would be or what toys were now "age appropriate". It didn't help that Thomas was crawling all over the mansion and Chad was now starting to feel like he had to keep up with his baby.

The day Thomas crawled for the first time Chad was so shocked and proud. Without a second's hesitation he called out for Abby, thinking she was just in the next room. "Baby! Baby! Come here Thomas is…" And the realization had sunk in before he finished his sentence. A small amount of liquid started to form under his eyes as he continued to watch his son scoot his little body across the mansion floor.

Chad shook himself out of his daze as he came out of the infant clothing store. The shirt that he had found would be so incredibly cute on his son. Chad was absolutely NOT a shopper. That was always Abby's thing. She picked out the outfits and arranged the photo sessions and kept the men in her life looking handsome and dapper. Since she wasn't able to do that job anymore, Chad had decided that he would not let them look anything less than what Abby would have expected. He'd also get to have a little fun as well.

He finally found Lucas and Adrienne in the park. Thomas was gripping the sand in his fist with a big cheesy smile on his face. He could see the bottom two teeth popping through Thomas' gums. "Da." Thomas mumbled.

In his brain Chad knew that Thomas wasn't really saying, "Dad", but his heart told him otherwise. "Hey!" Chad greeted.

Lucas and Adrienne sat casually on the bench nearby, keeping an eye out. "Hey Chad!" Adrienne greeted first.

Chad set his bag down next to the engaged couple. "Whatchya got?" Lucas inquired. He wouldn't ever truly admit it to himself or to Chad, but part of him was relishing in helping to take care of Thomas. He didn't really get to do that with Will since at the time, he believed that Will was Austin's son and his nephew. It was just one of many things that he had ultimately forgiven Sami for in their twenty plus year friendship. To see Thomas take these first big moments was something Lucas would always treasure.

With a sneaky smile on his face, Chad pulled out the sweat shirt hoodie that he had purchased in the town square. It was black and had a Batman symbol on it. Lucas smiled and Adrienne laughed.

"Oh my goodness!" She squealed. "That is adorable!"

"It's a 12 month so I'm hoping it will fit him for a little bit. Might be a bit too big for him now, but he'll grow into it. With the winter coming up I thought it would be perfect."

"Oh he sure will!" Adrienne gushed as she smiled brightly.

As they were conversing, Brady Black came walking by with his son Tate. He noticed Adrienne, Lucas and Chad sitting over on a bench and asked if he could join them.

"Hey guys!"

"Hey Brady!" Chad greeted, shaking hands with him. Brady wasn't someone that Chad had a lot of history with. They had a few run-ins since Chad had come back to town, most notably when Chad inquired about effects of drinking too heavily and the blackouts he was experiencing during Ben's murder spree. Abby had had some sort of friendship with him through Jennifer, but, Brady kind of kept to the Kiriakis clan and Theresa.

Adrienne tapped Chad on the shoulder, "Chad, sweetheart, is it alright if Lucas and I go for a walk?"

"Oh yeah! Thank you so much. I got him from here."

"Okay." She kissed Chad on the cheek and ruffled his hair a little. "Bye Brady." She waved at Brady. Brady returned the sentiment and set Tate down next to Thomas and let his son enjoy the wonders of the sandbox.

Brady took a seat next to Chad on the park bench. Both men sat there, silently, awkwardly, letting the weight of their family's history suffocate the air. That is, until Brady finally broke the ice. "It's kind of amazing isn't it?" Brady ominously stated, his eyes fixated on the two children in front of them.

"What is?" Chad replied, watching the two boys play as well. Thomas didn't really know what he was doing, but he grabbed a sand shovel in his little hand as best as he could and dropped it in front of Tate so he could play with it.

"That the two of them are the future of our families. They know nothing about the feud, they know nothing of the world around them and their innate sense is to be kind to each other."

Chad agreed whole-heartedly. He better than anyone knew that family history and past mistakes did not determine one's future. It was a choice he made every day to not give into his darker nature. To not just give in to Stefano's way of thinking and plotting and manipulating the people and the world around him. That wasn't who Abby fell in love with and that certainly wasn't the man she married. He fiddled with his wedding ring.

Brady must have taken notice and commented. "This might not be my place, but, you're doing a good job from what I can tell Chad. I have definitely suffered my fair share of loss in life, just like you. Arianna, Madison, my mother. I can't tell you how scared I was when I was about your age and I thought I was going to lose Chloe to leukemia. She was my whole world, my love, my life… and just like you I fought with everything to save her. The love of a good woman will make you see this whole other side to yourself. I was so angry at the world. Hell, we both were. But, through everything, we found hope in the world through each other. At the thought of losing that…"

Chad definitely knew a thing or two about being angry at the world. He was not the nicest or the best person when he found out who his father truly was. Abby, since the moment he met her in the Java Café, had this light around her that just called to his soul. With her, he saw that light at the end of the dark tunnel he had been on. And now that light was gone. "That worked out though. I mean, Chloe is very much alive and well."

"Yeah it did and even though she and I didn't work out, I thank God every day that it did. But even with all of that loss and when I did think that I lost her forever at one point… My point is, don't lose sight of you. You're doing everything that you can for Thomas and that's great and that's what a good parent should do. But don't forget about yourself either. Don't be afraid to love again. If I had stopped living after all of the bullshit I've been through, I wouldn't be here, with Theresa and our son."

Chad let Brady's words sink in. "Thank you."

"Anytime." He patted Chad's shoulder as he went to get up.

"Hey Brady," Chad started, unsure of how he wanted to continue this sentence. The Kiriakis' and the DiMera's were not known to be friendly, with the exception of himself and Sonny. Brady and EJ sure as hell had a bitter feud over business and Nicole Walker. Stefano and Victor's hatred dated back decades with no one really understanding what it was about to begin with. Justin was a stand-up guy but obviously couldn't let his own disdain for the family go when Chad was falsely accused of being the Neck-tie Killer. No one on the planet trusted or, hell, even liked Andre. Chad could only imagine it was a similar feeling with this Deimos character he'd heard about for the Kiriakis family. "We ah, we actually have a lot in common, don't we?"

"In life or…?"

"Yeah, in life. In family duty. What it means to be looked at as 'the next generation of…'"

"I guess we kinda do." Brady hadn't really thought about it because he honestly hated the DiMera's. With his history with EJ and Kristen and Tony, he knew not to trust them but, as he looked at Chad, all he saw was a broken man trying to be a good dad to his son. He didn't see anything that he didn't recognize in himself at some point in his life.

"You know if you and Theresa ever want to have a date night, I'm sure Thomas would love to have a playdate." Chad slyly offered.

Brady smiled and nodded. "I will discuss it with Theresa and if that's something she's comfortable with, I'll have her give you a call."

Brady scooped up Tate from the sandbox and Thomas started to cry. Chad came over and picked up his son to comfort him. "It's okay Thomas. You and Tate can maybe play another day."

Brady had Tate wave goodbye to Thomas and it seemed to make the little Deveraux calmer for the moment. Chad did the same and said goodbye as Brady and Tate continued on their walk.

Chad gathered Thomas' stuff that Lucas and Adrienne had left for him. "Come on little man, let's get you home."

As Chad and Thomas left the park, AJ came out from the trees behind the park bench and watched as Chad strolled through the town square to take his son home.

"Don't worry Chad. I know you miss me. I'm still here baby. It's just not the right time yet. I'll explain everything. I promise." And with that declaration to only God and herself, AJ aka Abigail Johanna DiMera watched her family walk home with no knowledge as to who she really was.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Abby kept her distance from Chad and their son. How she missed Thomas with all of her heart. She wanted nothing more than to just go up to him, scoop him up, rain kisses all over his face and never let him go. It had been torturous the last several months without her little boy in her arms. The same went for Chad. It pained her heart to keep away from him.

That she had to lie to him about who she really was. She kept trying to drop hints to him though, that maybe he'd figure it out on his own. She tried things that only she and he would know; like the line about Thomas Jack Deveraux being a Supreme Court Justice. He had thought of that in their hotel room that wonderful night. She had never breathed a word of his sweet behavior with her as they lay in bed and he made up the most heartwarming, terrible bed time story. She never told one word to her Mom or to Gabi or to anyone. It was just a moment between she and Chad that was incredibly intimate and special.

As they walked through the town, she noticed Chad had taken a detour. "This isn't the way to his house." She wondered to herself. "Where are they going?"

Chad zigged and zagged the baby stroller, clearly playing a game with Thomas. Smiling at the visual of her husband with their son in this special moment between them, she had never felt as pained at her decision to stay away, than she did in that moment. She was missing this. They weren't having this moment together as a family. She had already missed so much, but she was determined not to miss any more.

Chad took a sharp left and when Abby saw where they were headed she heard a small gasp escape her lips without her brain even realizing that she had done it. Chad was taking Thomas to the cemetery. "Oh God!" She whispered.

Still keeping her distance she watched as Chad pulled up to a familiar headstone. It was one that she hadn't visited very often but knew that Chad had been to a lot. Grace.

Chad pulled Thomas out of the stroller and brought him down to the ground with him. Sitting with his legs crossed he held Thomas in his lap as Thomas gripped onto his father's fingers for dear life. In the distance Abby could barely make out what Chad was saying.

"Hey sweetheart." Chad started as he let go of one of Thomas' hands to touch his daughter's grave. It read: Grace Rafaella DiMera. EJ didn't know it at the time but when he had made a new headstone for Grace with the last name DiMera, even though she wasn't EJ's, the name was still correct. They all found out later that she was indeed Chad's and Mia's daughter. God he was such an asshole when he was younger. What a real piece of work he must have been that she couldn't even tell him that she was pregnant.

Thomas cooed in Chad's lap. The little Deveraux was excited to see his Dad. "Thomas I want you to meet someone. This is your big sister. Her name was Grace and she was a wonderful little girl. Daddy didn't get to spend much time with her before she got sick, but, maybe if you ask your Aunt Sami one day, she can tell you more about her than I can."

Chad's eyes didn't move from Grace's name. Too many emotions came over him. He clutched on to Thomas tighter than he had before. "I made a promise to you that I would be a good dad one day and I feel like I'm struggling. I'm not worried about Thomas. I know he's happy right now, but, Abby is gone and I don't know how to get through the days without falling apart. I put on a really good show for everyone but inside I feel like I'm slipping further and further away from who I used to be. From who Abby fell in love with. That was the man that I am destined to be and I'm not sure how to get back on that path." As he looked up into the sky, he continued, "So… Abby used to talk about guardian angels and she used to talk about how she felt like her father used to watch over her and help her through tough times. Since I can't really ask my father for the same thing, I was hoping you could help me out."

Abby waited with bated breath and decided that now would be her cue. If Chad was looking for a sign than she might as well give him one. Gathering all of the butterflies in her stomach, she started to walk over to him. Thomas spotted her behind them and smiled a big, bright smile. Clearly he recognized her. He started to flail his arms about which got Chad's attention.

"What's the matter buddy? Is bath time? Is that what you're getting all excited about? Time to go home and play with your toys?"

As Chad got up, he lifted Thomas back in his stroller. What Chad didn't notice was that Abby had shuffled back behind a tree to hide herself. Peeking out from behind, she caught Thomas' eye as he was desperately searching for his lost Mama.

"We'll come back again and visit, okay?" Chad told his son as he turned him around to head home.

Abigail peered on as she watched her family head home. Turning around she knew while she was here, she couldn't leave without visiting her father. She had missed him so and especially as her world was crumbling around her, she needed him more than she ever had.

The sky was a somber gray, as she looked up she had one clear memory of her father. When she was little, Abby used to always complain about cloudy days to her parents. Jen would always chuckle and wave it to the side, knowing Abby was just being a kid and didn't want to sit inside. Jack had an interesting approach to explaining the more important things in life. He leaned closer to her and gave her a new way to look at the world. He told her that gray in the sky let everyone know the imperfections of the world and when a storm rolled in, that's when people were tested to their true character. Only when the sun came out could people truly appreciate it for what it represented. Hope. Light. Goodness in the world. Jack turned to look upstairs and saw Jennifer standing at the top of them with a smile on her face. The look of love was written all over her face.

Abby had survived the biggest storm of her life when she was locked in that cabin with Ben and her son. Those were the darkest of dark gray days in her life. She had weathered the storm and found her sun. Her hope, her light, resided in Chad and Thomas. Abby had found Jack's tombstone and knelt down beside it, letting the grass sink into her knees. Tears weld up in her eyes.

"Hey Daddy… I miss you. I'm sorry I haven't been by to visit you in a while. There's so much I need to tell you."

"AJ?" Chad's voice carried to her ears. In shock, she whipped her head around to see him holding Thomas in his arms, confusion written all over his face. His piercing blue eyes gravitated to see that she was knelt in front of Jack's grave. Thomas was trying to wiggle free from his grasp and get to her.

"Chad…" She started.

"Abby?" His voice cracked like an earthquake had just shaken his core.

She was frozen there. Everything felt like it was in slow motion for her. She could hear a dog clearly off in the distance, she could feel the coolness of the temperature on her cheeks and the wind blowing her hair in her face. Hearing him call her by her real name, she was stunned. In that moment, she had a choice. She could continue to lie to him and then never reveal her true identity to him, or she could embrace him and their family in that moment, consequences be damned.

There was no choice. It was obvious.

"Chad…" She started to approach him with open arms.

"What?" His disbelief that she was alive, that she was standing in front of him, overwhelmed him. "How?"

"I can explain everything. Let's go home and talk?"

She placed her hand on his face, under his jaw like, like she always had and the sensation of her skin on his shook his core. He closed his eyes and his heart leapt for joy that it really was her. He would recognize her touch anywhere. It just felt… right.

Thomas practically jumped out of his dad's arms and into Abby's. She chuckled at her son's behavior and gladly embraced him. To feel her son in her arms again was pure heaven. This moment felt right. They were reunited. Finally. Now she just had a lot of explaining to do.

The DiMera's left the cemetery, arm in arm on the way home. Together.


End file.
